We plan to hold the third American Heart Association (AHA) "Failing Heart" Conference entitled "Scientific Conference on Molecular, Cellular, and Integrated Physiological Approaches to the Failing Heart" on August 18-22, 1999 at Snowbird Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. This conference is sponsored by the AHA's Councils on Circulation and Basic Science. Two previous "Failing Heart" conferences were held quite successfully in Asilomer, CA in 1993 and in Salt Lake City in 1996. Conference Description - With the advent of transgenic and gene- targeting technologies as well as the progress made in murine cardiac physiology and imaging, the field of cardiovascular science is rapidly transforming into a truly integrated science of molecular biology, developmental biology, genetics, morphology, pharmacology, and physiology. This four-day conference includes lectures, discussion, workshops, poster presentations focusing on new development on heart failure research, and hosts a New Investigator Award competition for trainees and junior investigators and Cardiovascular Research Prize Competition for newly established investigators. Seventy-five (75) invited speakers will give presentations at 23 plenary sessions, two workshops, and three extended poster sessions. The meeting format is designed to provide opportunity for intense interaction among participants during the sessions and breaks. Conference Objectives - The purpose of the conference is to l) provide an update regarding the advances in molecular genetics of cardiomyopathy and cardiac failure, 2) characterize new cellular mechanisms associated with altered signal transduction in myopathic hearts, 3) review advances with respect to new transgenic and gene targeted models of cardiomyopathy, 4) discuss new ways to explore transgenic murine models using integrated physiological approaches, and 5) discuss ways to analyze transgenic mouse hearts by various morphological and imaging approaches. Anticipated Participants - Cardiologists, cardiovascular physiologists, pharmacologists, cell biologists, biochemists, clinical investigators, and other scientists interested in heart failure are invited to submit an abstract for poster presentation. We will discount the registration fee by 75% for trainees and 20 travel awards will be provided for trainees and junior investigators submitting outstanding abstracts. At least 300 participants are expected.